Barinas

Buenos Días Er Vigia!

Barinas (Spanish: [baˈɾinas]) is a city in west central Venezuela. According to the 2011 census, its population is 353,442. It is the capital of the Barinas Municipality and the State of Barinas. The city of Barinas is known as the capital of the Llanos.

History

The original city was founded under the name Altamira de Caceres on June 30, 1577, by Captain Juan Andres Varela fulfilling orders of the governor of La Grita Francisco de Cáceres, who had founded this Andean city and established it governorate in 1576.

In 1786 Barinas state was established in the territories of the existing states of Barinas and Apure. The city became the capital of the state and an important bastion of the patriots during the War of Independence. Cristóbal Mendoza, the first President of Venezuela, lived and practiced his profession in Barinas.

Etymology

The name of the city comes from an indigenous word which identifies a strong wind that occurs during the rainy season, from the valleys of Santo Domingo.

Geography

The city is located in the northwest part of the state, along the river Santo Domingo in the Andean foothills about 165 km from the city of Mérida and 525 km from Caracas. The city has about 270,000 inhabitants and is the most populous in the state of Barinas and one of the largest Venezuelan llanos cities alongside Calabozo, Acarigua-Araure, Guanare and San Fernando de Apure. The city is located about 188 meters above sea level.

Sights

The Marques Palace
Museum Alberto Arvelo Torrealba
Cathedral of Our Lady of Pilar of Zaragoza and Santiago
Santo Domingo River
Squares: Student's Square, Bolivar Square, Zamora Square, Francisco de Miranda Square, Poet's Square
Walk of the Trujillanos
The Federation Park
Los Mangos Park
Business Centers: C.C. Cima, C.C. El Dorado, C.C. Forum, C.C. Vemeca.
Olympic Stadium Agustin Tovar "La Carolina"
Botanical Garden of Unellez
Punto Fresco Roundabout
The house of Brutalis

Notable residents

Ronald Hernández, professional footballer for Atlanta United and the Venezuela national football team
Jorge Linares, Multiple-weight world boxing champion.
Darwin Matheus, professional footballer for Atlanta United 2